Instead of some litte beeps or squeaks this alarm sets off a party popper, guaranteed to wake you with a bang (and possibly a heart attack)!

The base and clock circuitry come from a “Flying Alarm Clock“. Originally when the alarm was on a motor would be set high, now the input is into a PICAXE microcontroller. When the Picaxe detects the input is high it sends a signal to a servo that moves from top dead centre to bottom dead centre. The servo is connected by a chain to a crocodile clip that is connected to the string of the party popper.

It was featured in the third episode of “The Latest in Hobby Robotics”, a video series from Make. I am happy with the coverage, it was described as a “classic” that has “silly written all over it”.

Party Poppers need a surprising amount of force to set them of. Between 1-2kg. Small and weak servos just won’t cut it. The string from the party popper needs to be looped round the crocodile clip or it will slip.

I originally wanted it to play “Flower of Scotland” after the party popper went off but I couldn’t find a Nokia Mono Ringtone for it anywhere. If you have a copy I would much appreciate it if you let me know. I figured the Macerena would be a suitably annoying song.

I have also had it playing “Happy Birthday” for my flatmate’s Birthday.